Witchy Worries
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Set after "Hey, Speaking of..." Morgana summons Willow to The Black Room for some advice.


Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Darkwing Duck. Buffy and related characters belong to Whedon. Darkwing Duck and related characters belong to Disney.

For TwistedShorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge (Day 20)

Warnings: Spoilers for previous one-shot and a chapter fic of mine.

A/N: This one follows the chapter fic entitled The Building Blocks of Good and Evil and the one-shot "Hey, Speaking of..." It's also set before the yet-to-be-started chapter fic entitled, "Devil You Don't Know." And, in case you wanna know, I recently did a Harry Potter/Buffy One-shot that loosely relates to this world which would have taken place sometime within Building Blocks entitled "While Supplies Last." This is set after season 7 of Buffy, disregarding the comics save for a few little ideas here and there. Also, for Darkwing, I disregarded the comics save for a few ideas here and there. Enjoy!

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**Witchy Worries**

Willow yawned, followed immediately by almost jumping out of her skin. She was pretty sure that, when she had gone to sleep, she had not summoned the inky Black Room used for interdimensional chatting. However, as she looked around her blotchy ebony room, it was undeniable that that was where she was at.

"Willow?" came a voice from somewhere beyond the foot of the bed.

The red-haired witch turned, staring at what in normal circumstances was a bookshelf-lined wall of her bedroom, to see another Black Room behind a blank wall that had appeared to turn to glass. Standing beyond the wall was an anthropomorphic duck who stood a little shorter than Willow. Her high, black beehive of a hairdo was titled a bit backwards and she was wringing her white feathered hands.

Willow threw off her blanked, relieved not to have her legs covered by the all-consuming blackness anymore, and walked her way to the wall. She tried desperately to comb through her bed-head with her fingers, stifling at yawn.

"Morgana? What's up?" she asked.

The duck witch—one of the first witches Willow had met during her on-going efforts at establishing an interdimensional coven—peeked over her shoulder, as if afraid that someone had snuck into The Black Room with her. Which was impossible… you were either brought in, or you disrupted the spell. And Willow didn't know about Morgana, but if one of the Slayers had disrupted her, there would be hell to pay. The spell was just too energy and concentration draining to just redo.

"Oh, Willow… Willow, we have a problem," Morgana said, shaking her head.

The beehive did not waver from its already precarious placement, which Willow found amazing. She shook her head, making herself focus.

"Is this about the missing scythe? Because Buffy already told me she talked with Darkwing about it."

Morgana's brow furrowed. "Sort of, but it's more. Did he mention that spell that I've done, to keep the watchers away from Gosalyn?"

Willow searched her memory, which was a little fuzzy due to her suddenly awakening, but she nodded.

"Yeah, vaguely. What's up?"

"Oh… it's weakening, Willow. I saw a watcher in St. Canard today. He passed right in front of my manor. What are going to _do_? They're going to take Gosalyn away. It'll crush Dark."

Willow lightly bit her bottom lip. "Weakening how?"

"They're trying to break it down. And it was one I had to make up—my kind have never really run across this probably before—so I was winging it to begin with."

Willow pushed aside her Xander-like need to pointing out the pun of "winging it" with the fact that a duck had just said it. This was a serious matter, and needed to be dealt with.

"What did you use in the spell?"

"Um… eye of newt, rosemary, dried monkey warts, blessed thistle and raven feathers."

"Hmm… well, the raven feathers really didn't do much, unless they have different properties in your world than they do in mine. And blessed thistle is used mostly to ward off evil, and no matter what we think, the watchers aren't exactly evil. Did you try angelica root or burdock?"

"Yes, yes, I did. Willow, I managed to cast an individual confusion spell that sent him away, but if they come en masse…"

Willow fell silent, lost in thought. There wasn't too much else to a protection spell, or a spell to keep someone hidden from sight. Willow had made herself invisible to her friends—and them to her—but it was more of will than Willow.

"They're drawn to the essence of the slayer," Willow murmured, thinking aloud. Finally, she looked up, her eyes dark. "I have an idea… but I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it."

Morgana shook her head. "Short of killing someone, I'll try anything. Darkwing is close to breaking, Willow… and if they get his little Gosalyn…"

Willow nodded. "Then here's what I need you to do. I'll gather what I can on this end, and we'll make this the strongest spell that anyone has ever seen."

#

Willow had excused herself for bed the next night with no suspicion, making sure that she went at her usual time. However, as soon as she had closed and locked her door—giving it a little extra warding just in case—she passed right by her bed, sitting with crossed legs in front of her bookshelves.

She had done this spell so many times while Buffy—and then Dawn—had been in Darkwing's dimension that it had gotten a little easier for her to do. But not much. In the end, it took her maybe two seconds shorter than what it used to to see the red-clad duck witch through the now "glass" wall. In Morgana's lap was a pile of ingredients, along with a rolled black cloth. A cauldron was set beside her as she pulled herself to her feet. Willow smiled down at her own ingredients and cauldron as she mirrored the other witch's movements.

"Did you get it?" Willow asked.

Morgana was solemn-faced as she nodded. She lifted the black cloth, unrolling it so the human witch could see.

"I had to make sure that Darkwing wouldn't notice. He would have never allowed this."

"Neither would Buffy. But it's the only way to keep Gos save," Willow said, glancing at the cloth's contents.

Two teeth, molars, were cradled in the palm of Morgana's hand.

"I took one from each side of Mindy's mouth."

Willow pursed her lips, nodding. Mindy was the slayer from Darkwing's world whose life had been taken, resulting in Gosalyn's newfound powers. Darkwing had been protective of the girl for the short time he had known her—according to Buffy—because of her young age—eighteen. He had taken it the hardest when NegaBuffy had killed her.

"Dark would be horrified to know that we've done this."

"I think Mindy would be okay with it," Willow said, honestly meaning her words. "I mean, I never really got to meet her… but I think she would have made this sacrifice. Especially since you didn't taken anything a little more… noticeable."

Willow had suggested taking one of Mindy's fingers for the spell, but Morgana had flat out refused. Willow had not pressed her point, immediately moving on to teeth. Sighing, the red-haired witch motioned to the cauldron across the wall.

"Start adding your other ingredients, holding out the teeth until I say. I'll do the same here."

It took only moments for all the herbs and random animal parts to melt away into a thick, sludge-colored liquid. Morgana curled her beak up slightly as she lifted a ladle of her own liquid to sniff.

"It's ready," she said, dropping it back down into the cauldron.

"Mine too. Now, repeat after me: O Goddess Hecate, whose powers transcend, we ask your blessings upon this."

Morgana repeated the words without fault. Both cauldrons bubbled almost merrily. Willow grinned. It was always good to have a goddess's blessing on your side.

"O Goddess," she began again, with Morgana repeating. "We ask for confusion. We ask for protection."

Willow nodded as Morgana finished, and the duck witch dropped the teeth into her cauldron. Both waited a moment until Willow finally continued.

"Let this spell draw strength from _both_ dimensions! Let the veil fall upon the eyes!"

With that last declaration, Willow threw a small lock of Buffy's own hair—snipped without the slayer's knowing—into her own cauldron. The liquid turned a violent purple, a small explosion from within the cauldron sending a small splatter of it into the air. However, as soon as the airborne liquid rejoined with the rest, the bubbling stopped and the color changed to a clear, translucent one—almost like water.

"Did it work?" Morgana asked.

"I think so. What color did your liquid turn to?"

"Well, it looks like water now. But it was an acid green."

Willow nodded. "Yeah. I think it worked. I think colors represented the slayers we used."

"So… the watchers of my world… they'll forget that Mindy died?" Morgana asked.

Willow nodded. The plan had gone off just as she thought it would, using the power of two slayers from two dimensions to hide Gosalyn from view. Of course, Willow ventured that they could do one better, confusing the watchers of Morgana's world to think that Mindy had never passed on. It was underhanded, and if either Buffy or Darkwing had learned that they had used some of poor, deceased Mindy's teeth, then they would be in deep trouble. But, what they didn't know…

"I think so. I don't know how long it'll last. Not forever, but long enough to buy you guys plenty of time to find that scythe."

Morgana sighed. "Thank you, Willow. I would have never thought to use Mindy in that way."

Willow frowned, and Morgana immediately waved her hands apologetically.

"I didn't mean—"

Willow shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to making the tough, spell decisions."

"Thank you."

"No problem, Morg."

With a final nod, the inky blackness faded from Willow's room, and she was once again left facing her bookshelves. She sighed, crawling into her canopied bed.

She really had no idea what Mindy would feel like, her body being used like that. But maybe, just maybe, she would understand. After all, Gosalyn was only ten. With a sad grin, Willow turned off her light, not bothering to put the cauldron away.

Yeah. Mindy would understand.

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End Notes: Okay, unless I just randomly come up with another one for the August Fic-A-Day, the next thing in this series is the chaptered sequel. I hope everyone enjoyed this! Please review!


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